If determination had a face, it would look like Austrian judoka and four-time Olympian Sabrina Filzmoser's as she cycled her way to Rahim Yar Khan amidst the heatwave that has gripped Pakistan.
The retired judoka is on a mission to spread the message of peace and cycling from Karachi to K2 as a part of Judo for Peace expedition.
"Alhamdulillah, our Judo legend reached Kot Sabzal, Punjab. It is a small town in the Rahim Yar Khan District, located near the provincial border of Punjab and Sindh," was the message that the Pakistan Judo Federation secretary sent this correspondent, very proudly, as he has been one of the key figures in the organisation encourage women athletes to do more, and he sees Filzmoser's efforts as a way to inspire Pakistanis too.
The 44-year-old judoka arrived in Pakistan on May 21, marking the first day of her journey that is aimed at covering sea level to Skardu and onward to the K2 base camp, from where she plans to ascent towards the world's second-highest peak.
On her first day, she held a press conference with Pakistan Olympic Association and Sindh Association welcoming her, while she took to the seaview and Jinnah Mousoleum as well accompanied by local judokas and security personal.
"Filzmoser is an amazingly brave woman, and she was here in 2023 last time too," Ahmed explained. " This is her mission and her aim, but we as a judo federation are supporting her, we promised to welcome her when we met her abroad.
"When she climbed Mount Everest a few years back, and she did that in collaboration with the Nepalese Judo Federation as well. She also started an Everest club at the highest altitude there and she helped them with mats and establishing the club. She wanted to raise the flag of Judo for Peace there. So because of her initiatives and her dedication the International Judo Federation (IJF) has appointed her as climate ambassador. She is also the chairperson of the IJF Athlete Commission. She has been a versatile individual, she is a pilot, worked in the police, as a medical professional, and also won bronze medals at the Olympics.
Since she is a member of the judo family, so we are facilitating her with documentation etc, but she hired her own guide, Karakorum, Expeditions, she has funded them and contacted them on her. But we wrote letters to the IGPs of all the provinces for her security, we have spoken to DIGs. We did the same when she came to Pakistan in 2023.
"She wanted to start her sea-level to K2 tour two years ago as well. We met her in Abu Dhabi, in Hungary, and before that in Japan at the IJF meets, when she expressed her desire to come to Pakistan, which was a very good thing, I thought. She wanted to come here and train our local players too.
"In 2023, she wanted to do this, but we told her that the security situation was not suitable at the time. However, she was very insistent so we had to tell the embassy of her country to tell her not to come here, but still, she decided that she would directly land in Islamabad and cycle through to Abbottabad and then to K2 base camp. She made a cycling club and a club for judo and trained with local athletes as well. She presented her bicycle to the women cyclists at the end of the journey. She went all the way up to the top of K2, but she aimed to cycle from sea level, from Karachi to K2. So she has returned to Pakistan with that aim."
Ahmed praised Filzmoser for training the youth in Hyderabad too once she reached there on May 22. She is documenting her journey and interacting with people on the road. She was even willing to go through Moro in Sindh which was not clear for security till May 22. But she carried on her journey to Sukkur as well despite the heat.
"Its 52C now for lunchtime between Hyderabad and Sukkur, Sindh area, the village name is Kandyaro. 220km done, 100km to go, already eight hour on the cycle," was the update shared by Ahmed on May 23.
According to the press release by PJF on Saturday: After an overnight rest in Rahimyar Khan, the first city of Punjab Province on her route, Filzmoser is scheduled to continue her journey northward, aiming to arrive in Lahore on May 28.
Speaking to the media, she described Pakistan as a safe and beautiful country with unmatched hospitality.
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